Haunt of Fear #13
In "For the Love of Death!" from Haunt of Fear #13 (1952), a group of neighborhood boys grow suspicious when the new kid, Ezra, never joins their games. When they follow Ezra’s uncle one night and witness him draining a victim’s blood, they’re convinced he’s a vampire—and that Ezra is being held captive. Determined to stop him, the boys plan to stake the uncle the next day, only to uncover a chilling secret in the cellar. Written by Bill Gaines and Al Feldstein, with art by Jack Kamen and coloring by Marie Severin, this classic EC horror tale delivers a twist that lingers long after the final panel. The cover, a chilling masterpiece by Graham Ingels, captures the story’s eerie tone.
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The neighborhood boys are curious that the new kid on the block never comes out to play. They suspect Ezra's uncle is a vampire so they follow him one night and observe him kill someone and drain their blood into the jug he keeps in the carton. Now that they know he is the vampire they figure he doesn't let Ezra come out for fear of speaking to the authorities. The children resolve to stake the vampire through the heart the next day, which they do, only to discover Ezra sleeping peacefully in a coffin in the cellar with the drained jar of blood next to him.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).